The Illusionist (2006) has been directed by Neil Burger and is also written by him and Steven Millhauser. Based on the short story by Millhauser under the name “ Eisenheim the Illusionist”, the movie is splendid and one that doesn’t lose its charm even after watching it several times; a movie that’s true to its name and keeps you hooked till the very end. The actors Edward Norton( Eisenheim), Jessica Biel (Sophie), Paul Giamatti (Inspector Uhl) and Rufus Sewell (Crown Prince Leopold) , among others, have done an incredible job of drawing the audience into an intricate web of their own making that doesn’t seem to let go till the last scene. Even though the tag-line of the movie- nothing is what it seems- is warning enough, nothing can prepare the audience for what is to come next. And even as the credits roll past on the screen, what Eisenheim said during the movie stays on your mind-“everything you have seen here has been an illusion.” Though a movie of fantasy and enchantment, it holds true to life. Edward Norton, in his hypnotizing voice, tells you “From the moment we enter this life we are in the flow of it we measure it and we mock it, but we cannot defy it. We cannot even speed it up or slow it down. Or can we? Have we not each experienced the sensation that a beautiful moment seemed to pas to quickly, and wished that we could make it linger? Or felt time slow on a dull day, and wished that we could speed things up a bit?” Set in early 1900’s Vienna, the movie is a treat to viewers of all ages.
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